The Essay Assignment
by Kalnaman
Summary: Danny thinks that he’s in trouble when he’s called to Mac’s office after Sonny’s statement of his connection to the TW gang and the mob. No warnings.


The Essay Assignment

By NamanKAL

Warnings: none

Category: Gen. Oneshot. Missing scene.

Summary: Danny thinks that he's in trouble when he's called to Mac's office after Sonny's statement of his connection to the TW gang and the mob.

Danny stood nervously outside Mac's office door. It was only about an hour ago they'd arrested Sonny the gang leader of the Tanglewood boys. Danny didn't know why Mac had called him to his office. He was afraid it had something to do with Sonny telling him about his connection to the Tanglewood boys and the mob.

Danny sighed and then knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Danny walked nervously inside. "You wanted to see me?"

Mac noticed Danny's nervous expression. "No need to worry Danny. You're not in trouble. I just wanted to talk to you. Go ahead take a seat."

Danny lightened up a little and took a seat.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"I just want to talk to you as a friend not as your boss. I want you to know, I'm really proud of you how you turned out. It must've been tuff for you to go against the Tanglewood boys and your father."

"Yeah it was. They all gave me a hard time when they found out that I had joined the academy and that I refused to join the gang and their way of life."

"What made you go this path and join the police academy?"

"I didn't want to be like the others. I wanted to be me and not a piece of a gang. I didn't want to be marked on my shoulder that says I'm the property of the Tanglewood boys for life. I wanted to break free and have power over my own future."

"Why did you choose the law enforcement? You could have getting a job as a scientist in a private company and earn much more than you'll ever earn here."

Danny thought for a moment and remembered back when he was about ten, when he wrote an Essay that changed his life forever. He wondered where the officer was now; he hoped that he was still alive. He then decided to find him and thank him.

Mac waited patiently for the answer.

"Well when I was about ten I met a nice cop. I saw him in a diner in the Tanglewood territory and asked him if he was interested getting interviewed for my Essay assignment…"

Mac looked surprised at Danny. He let Danny continue without interrupting him.

"He looked a little skeptical at me at first. He told me that it depended on what I would ask him about. I told him that I've heard mostly about law enforcement through criminals and never from the law enforcement itself. So I wanted to ask him about it and how it felt to be a cop. Why he joined the academy? And other things. He said yes and gave me French Fries and a hamburger and we ate together while I interviewed him. He was really nice. He didn't judge me just because I lived in the Tanglewood territory. He showed me that cops are only humans too. I wish I knew his last name. I didn't ask him then and I regret that a lot now. I never told him my last name, not even my first name to him either. By the way his name is Mac just like you, isn't that funny?"

Mac smiled brightly. "What a coincidence. Maybe I should tell you why I continued being a cop when at one point I wanted to quit."

"You wanted to quit? Yes I would like to know why you decided to stay a cop."

"At a point when I was a beat cop I was very close to quitting. I didn't know if I ever would be able to make a difference. It was very hard to get through to the Tanglewood boys. I got laughed, spitted and yelled at. There was no thankfulness for risking my life to help and protect people. I had even written my resignation and was about to turn it in. But then I met a young boy in a diner that wanted an interview from me…"

Danny turned his head up and looked at Mac open-mouthed.

"Y-You were that cop?"

"Yes, Danny, I was. It's thanks to you that I'm still in the law enforcement. You know that I was warned not to hire you at CSI. Guess who I thought of when I decided to hire you against the warnings?"

"I don't know. Who?" Danny asked curiously.

"The ten year old I met in the diner. I wondered where the boy was, if he was safe and if he'd chosen the right path. I thought that he had the right to get a chance to become what he wanted and so did you. If you wanted to get out of that environment and into a new one, I shouldn't be the one to stop you. So I decided to hire you and I'm very happy that I did."

"So you mean that I was the one that gave you the final decision to hire me? WOW. Strange, huh? That we both influenced each other to where we are now."

"Yes it is. So what grade did you get for the assignment?"

Danny smiled brightly. "A plus."

Mac smiled at that. "I wish I could read it."

"Actually you can. I kept it even though it had given me some heartache."

Mac looked worriedly at Danny. "What do you mean?"

"The teacher asked me to turn it in an essay competition. I had to refuse because the Tanglewood boys would have killed me if I did. They'd already beaten me up for writing the essay about a cop's point of view instead of theirs."

Mac looked sad at Danny. "I'm sorry that it caused you trouble."

"Don't be, I survived. I never regretted how I wrote my essay. I would do it again."

Mac smiled at that. "So what about some lunch for old times' sake, my treat?"

Danny smiled brightly. "That sound cool, man. Let's do that. We can stop at my flat first to get my essay."

Mac stood up and took his jacket and led Danny out.

Danny drove together with Mac in Mac's car.

They had a nice lunch while talking about the essay that had changed both Danny and Mac's life forever. They never thought that the essay also would cause a father/son relationship in the near future between them.

The End


End file.
